Please review this letter from Mrs. Harlow regarding school re-opening for the 2020-2021 school year. As more information becomes available, we will post it here. Stay safe and healthy! 

​The Huntington School PTO bylaws state that nominations will be accepted for the positions of Secretary and Vice President each spring. Nominations for these two positions are currently being accepted through May 22. (Note: the PTO bylaws require that nominees to the positions of President and Treasurer must have served on the Board for at least one year prior to their nomination.) All parents and guardians of Huntington students, as well as all teachers, are members of the PTO, and any PTO member is eligible to run for an Executive Board office. 

Nominations must be returned to a representative not currently holding an elected office. The current school closure prevents us from distributing nomination forms in school. Therefore, nominations are to be made by emailing Melissa Hidek, Office of Family Engagement Program Aide for Huntington, at mhidek@scsd.us no later than 3:00 p.m. on May 22. The email should include "PTO Board nomination" in the subject line, and the body of the email should indicate: your name and contact information, student's grade level(s), and the position you are interested in. 

If more than one nomination is received for a position, a vote will be held at a later date (to be determined). Please note that all current officers intend to run again for positions on the Executive Board. The organization bylaws and current officers listing can be found on our website http://www.huntingtonschoolpto.org/about.html. 

The Executive Board meets regularly once a month throughout the year (in addition to the general PTO meetings), or more frequently if needed. Executive Board meetings are typically held on a weekday evening, depending on the Board members’ availability. 

The duties of the offices are as follows: 

Vice President: Assists with organizing volunteers and events, or with other activities as needed. Attends PTO fundraisers and events as needed. Conducts meetings in the President’s absence.

Secretary: Keeps minutes of all meetings, writes letters/emails, creates flyers, and maintains a record of correspondence. Also maintains the PTO website, email account, listserve, and social media. 
​
Please email huntingtonschoolpto@gmail.com with any questions about the Executive Board nomination process or function of the Board. 

Congratulations to our two newest board members, Vice-President, Maureen McCarthy and Secretary, Ramie Miller. 
We look forward to a productive year, with a fully-staffed board!

The PTO Executive Board currently has two vacancies. We are accepting nominations for Secretary and Vice President to fill these vacancies.  (Note: the PTO bylaws require that nominees to the positions of President and Treasurer must have served on the Board for at least one year prior to their nomination.) The Executive Board meets regularly once a month throughout the year (in addition to the general PTO meetings), or more frequently if needed. Executive Board meetings are typically held on a weekday evening, depending on the Board members’ availability. 

Duties of the offices include: 

Vice President: Assists with organizing volunteers and events, or with other activities as needed. Attends PTO fundraisers and events as needed. Conducts meetings in the President’s absence.

Secretary: Keeps minutes of all meetings, writes letters/emails, creates flyers, and maintains a record of correspondence. Also maintains the PTO website, email account, listserve, and social media. 

Nominations for these Executive Board positions must be returned by November 1. If more than one nomination is received for the open positions, a vote will be held at the November 14 PTO meeting (6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria).

If you would like to be considered for a position, please print this form and return to school, or email us with the information requested on the form. 

The construction team provided the latest update on the building renovation at our October 10, 2019 meeting. You can view the presentation slides here. 

The major items that are expected to be complete by December 2019 include: 

• New PA and clock system
• Basement tech classroom and restrooms
• East restrooms
• Remaining classroom flooring
• Fencing
• Roofing
• Ball field

Representatives from the district, C&S Engineers, and Turner Construction were at the April 11 PTO meeting to provide an update on the renovations at Huntington. You can view their presentation here.

Some items to note: 

• The pool is anticipated to open by May!
• We were told that the parking lot will be patched again over April break, but only as a temporary measure. The parking lot will be fully reconstructed over the summer - expect a much smoother ride in the fall!
• A lot of work is planned for this coming summer including classroom window replacements, main office and entry modifications, parking lot reconstruction, the new playground, and cafeteria renovations.

​Take a look at the presentation slides for some photos of the renovation in-progress and details on the schedule. We're all eagerly anticipating the final product! 

2018-2019 Yearbooks are on sale now!

​ORDERS ARE DUE TUESDAY, APRIL 30 and BOOKS MUST BE ORDERED IN ADVANCE. There will not be another opportunity to purchase a book this year. Cost is $20 per book. The front cover of the book can be personalized with the student's name printed on the bottom corner for an additional $2 per book. 

We strongly encourage you to order online at www.YearbookOrderCenter.com. It's fast, easy, and secure! Use order number 16647. You can also order via telephone with a credit card by calling 1.866.287.3096. 

You can also pay by check by printing and completing the order form. Checks should be made out to "Huntington School PTO." Please place orders in an envelope marked "yearbook" and give to your student's teacher. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR CASH. 

Attention 8th grade parents: Please submit a baby photo for the yearbook! It's a fun tradition to guess the "baby panther" in the yearbook. Photos must be submitted by April 5. The easiest way to submit is through the yearbook photo share website. Be sure to indicate your student's name when you submit a photo! See more info here. 

Also, all students are encouraged to participate in the yearbook cover art contest! Submissions are due April 11. Forms are available in the Main Office. See more details here. 

Email us with any questions. ​

The bylaws specify the purpose of the organization, the duties of the Executive Board members, procedures for holding funds and accessing those funds, and other aspects of the PTO operations. 

The current Executive Board has drafted an update of the bylaws to address some outdated elements of the existing version and to add clarity to some procedures, especially concerning fund requests. A draft was brought to the October 2018 meeting, but the discussion was postponed until January to allow additional edits to be made. 

A draft of the proposed bylaws is now available. Any PTO member (including any parent/guardian of a Huntington student, as well as all teachers and administrators) may submit comments on the draft bylaws at the January 10 meeting or via email prior to the meeting at huntingtonschoolpto@gmail.com. A simple majority vote at the January 10 meeting is needed to approve the updated bylaws.  

Notable proposed changes and additions to the bylaws, by section, are listed below: 

Various sections throughout document

• References to website, email, and social media have been added as necessary and appropriate, most notably within the duties of the Secretary.
• Replaced “parent(s)” with “family(ies)” as appropriate.

Article V   Meetings

• Section 8: specifies that each member is entitled to one vote, no absentee/proxy votes.
• Section 9: defines a quorum for votes.

Article VI   Executive Board

• Section 1: defines the Executive Board as President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer.

Article VII   Election of Executive Board Officers

• Section 3.11: Defines a term for Executive Board officers as July 1 to June 30, with no term limits.

Article X   Finances

• New article that defines how funds are held by the PTO.
• Section 2.1: Specifies that each grade level shall have a single account, unless teachers in that grade request individual classroom accounts and this request is approved by the Executive Board.
• Section 3.2: Gives the Executive Board, in cooperation with the principal, the authority to review fund requests for grade-level account funds to ensure the requests support the purpose of the organization (as defined in Article II).
• Section 4: defines intended use of PTO-held funds
• Section 5: prohibits purchase of “smart” technology
• Section 6: stipulates that durable goods purchased with PTO funds are the property of the PTO
• Section 7: states that funds above $100 (from PTO-sponsored fundraisers only) that remain in grade-level accounts at the end of the fiscal year (June 30) will be moved to the general PTO account.
• Section 9: provides that if the organization dissolves, any remaining funds will be donated to SCSD Educational Foundation.

Article XI   Fund Request Procedures

• New article that documents the process for requesting funds (consistent with what is currently described on the fund request forms and on the PTO website).
• Section 2.1: requires that annual allocations of funds from the district be used before requesting any PTO-held funds for classroom supplies. 

Article XIV  Conflict of Interest Policy

• New article (not included in current bylaws)

The first PTO meeting of the 2018-2019 school year is scheduled for Thursday, October 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the school cafeteria. One of the agenda items will be the approval of new bylaws for the organization. The draft bylaws are available for review here. 

The bylaws specify the purpose of the organization, the duties of the Executive Board members, procedures for holding funds and accessing those funds, and other aspects of the PTO operations. The current Executive Board has drafted an update of the bylaws to address some outdated elements of the existing version. Some of the notable proposed changes include: 

• Consolidation of the Corresponding Secretary and Recording Secretary positions on the Executive Board.
• Addition of electronic communications (website, email) to Secretary duties.
• Addition of language to encourage the use of class funds within the year that they are raised. 
• Consolidation of some aspects of the previous "procedures" guidance into the bylaws (such as the procedures for requesting funds from the General PTO account and the grade-level accounts). 

​Any PTO member (including any parent/guardian of a Huntington student, as well as all teachers and administrators) may submit comments on the draft bylaws at the October 11 meeting or via email prior to the meeting at huntingtonschoolpto@gmail.com. A simple majority vote at the October 11 meeting is needed to approve the updated bylaws. 

The first day of school will soon be upon us! All new and returning families should have received Mrs. Harlow's recent welcome letter. The letter contains many important details for the opening of the 2018-2019 school year.

Please note: 

• School for students in kindergarten through 8th grade begins on Thursday, September 6. 
• Pre-K students begin on Friday, September 7. 
• Free breakfast and lunch is available to all students. 
• Kindergarten orientation is September 5, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. in the classrooms. 
• Pre-K orientation is September 6, at either 11:00 a.m. (Ms. Payne), 10:00 a.m. (Ms. Appleton), or 1:00 p.m. (Ms. Appleton), in the classrooms. 
• Open House for all families is Wednesday, September 12, with sessions at 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. (same information - pick the time that is convenient for you). 

Please review Mrs. Harlow's letter for details on the school's cell phone policy (all electronic devices must remain out of sight and turned off). 

Also, please note that due to the ongoing building renovations, there will be NO ENTRANCE INTO EITHER PARKING LOT FOR PARENTS (parking, pick-up, or drop-off) UNTIL AT LEAST NOVEMBER. The letter contains more details; please review and plan accordingly for drop-off and pick-up while the parking lots are closed. 

We hope you will consider attending a PTO meeting this year. Our first meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria. PTO meetings are a great opportunity to meet other parents, staff members, and administrators and discuss your concerns and suggestions. We look forward to meeting you! 

UPDATE, 8/30/18: The letter from Superintendent Alicea describing the arrival and dismissal procedures that will be in place at the start of school can be found here. Until construction of the new bus loop is complete (anticipated in November), the doors on the west side of the building at the cafeteria will serve as the single point of entry for all students, parents, and other visitors. Please review the letter for more details.